Moving On
by Foreverdaylight
Summary: After the War life is becoming regular again, everyone is ready to move on and some people do. Warning: mild SS/HG implied.


**Disclaimer: I do not own anything if I did it would be different not JKR no money**

**Author's note: **_This was written for my friend Nina, she ships Parvati/Harry and prompted: Post-Hogwarts, Harry and Ginny did not last and Parvati and Harry run in to each other_

**Rating: **K+

**Warning: **_mild SS/HG implied because there is no world in my mind in which Snape and Hermione are not together :)_

**Warning 2: **_Still have no beta all mistakes are mine, point them out please_

_Moving on_

It has been almost four years since the Final Battle and still he couldn't walk into any wizarding establishment without being stared at and whispered about. That is why Harry Potter had come to prefer these little muggle cafe's instead. He had been walking around for almost fifteen minutes trough busy muggle London before stumbling upon this place by accident. It was not crowded but full enough for him to decide that the food must be good and besides he was tired and thirsty. It was a beautiful sunny April day and Harry was feeling proud of himself, they had had a particularly difficult exam this morning on Potions out of all things and he had done reasonably well. Their instructor a chubby small wizard that distantly reminded him of Slughorn had been jumping with joy. Auror training, Harry had soon figured out was nothing like Hogwarts. He knew now what he was working towards and that made him persistent to do well in all his subjects. He had developed a work ethic that made Ron scoff and call him 'Hermione' from time to time.

He had wanted to celebrate the ending of this new exam period with Ron but the two of them had managed to run into Ginny whose attitude had made him run for the hills in all but five minutes. It 'wasn't his fault they didn't work out, but Ginny managed to always make him feel like it was. And maybe it was his fault a little he was the one after all who ended things between them. It was good for a while he thought to himself, after the War, with everything else going on it had seemed good. But as the excitement of catching stray Death Eaters fell away he had slowly come to the startling realisation that Ginny felt more like a sister. And kissing your sister in that way was just…wrong. He had broken up with her almost as soon as he realized that all of Hermione's reasons for breaking up with Ron applied to the two of them as well. He had tried to do it gently emphasizing how much she still meant to him and how badly he wanted to remain friends. But she had not taken it well. He supposed he understood that, seeing how much longer Ginny had feelings for him then he had had for her. But it was almost a year ago now. You move one sometime right? He sighted, 21 years old and he still could really use that book on how to talk to girls that Hermione was going to write for them. Come to think of it, he could really use Hermione. Smirking to himself he made his way closer to the bar to inspect the menu and was just deciding whether to go for a ham sandwich and coffee or just the coffee when a familiar sound reached his ears

'Harry Potter!'

He stifled the long suffering sigh that threatened to escape and closed his eyes for a moment carefully schooling his face into that expression of surprised kindness he tended to use in these situations he turned and felt the expression fall from his face almost immediately

'P..Parvati?'

The times he thought about Parvati Patil, not that there were many times like that, she had appeared in his mind's eye as a fourteen year old girl. The first girl he danced with. Although even in his imagination he never could picture her without her constant companion Lavender Brown. And without giggling. The girl, no woman, that was standing before him now looked nothing like the image in his head. She was wearing muggle clothes, jeans and a t-shirt with a small bag hanging form her shoulder her hair that in his imagination had always been braided was falling loosely about her shoulders and she looked up at him with something of a smile in her eyes. He realized that he was staring. And then he realized that she was letting him stare.

'It _is_ you' she said smiling slightly 'I was almost completely sure'

'I wha…Hi' he managed awkwardly. _And why was he stuttering? _

'Hi, lunch break?' she said taking him in with some interest. He hadn't changed much, at least he didn't think he did. The look in her eyes said otherwise though and he struggled to figure out whether that was a good thing.

'Uh, no I am actually done for the day'

'Ah yes, I heard the Aurors in training were having an exam period, Padma told me'

He smiled at that Padma was dating Dean Thomas now who had chosen the same career as he and Ron.

She had walked passed him to the counter and he noticed a calm confidence in her movements that hadn't been there when she was still at Hogwarts.

'So,' she announced 'I am buying you lunch, to celebrate this nice meeting between old friends. What are you having?'

He swallowed thickly, they had never actually been friends and he wasn't sure he would be able to hold up a conversation. Besides _she_ was buying _him _lunch, while he had the distinct impression it should be the other way around. Searching for something not that expensive and a coffee he watched as she placed both their orders. They found a table near the window and he was glad to have at least remembered to pull out a chair for her. She sat thanking him and dropped her bag at her feet watching him as he took the seat opposite her. For a moment there was silence and he noticed just how beautiful she actually was. Which did nothing for his nerves. He feared that he would stutter again if he tried to speak and so decided it best to let her start up the conversation. She smiled at him.

'It is really good to see you again Harry.' She seemed to mean it.

'Uh, yeah, good see you too' he_ really_ needed to stop with the stuttering 'How are you doing these days Parvati?' he struggled to remember for a moment 'Hogwarts still right?'

She nodded 'Yes, I'm almost done with my apprenticeship Prof- I mean Minerva says I will make a good teacher'

The waiter brought over their orders, she had ordered a huge Sundae and he ended up with a toast with cheese and coffee.

He had a sudden image in his mind of _this_ Parvati standing in front of a class of eleven year-olds patiently explaining a basic theory. Yes she would be a good teacher. He told her as much.

'Thank you. So how are you and Ron and Ginny?'

He waited for her to finish the sentence but she shook her head.

'I don't need to ask about Hermione, I see plenty of her.'

He raised his eyebrows at that.

'Snape's gone back to teaching' she said by way of explanation.

'Ah'

She played with her spoon for a moment

'Funny how life sometimes turns out'

'Yeah, funny' he said although he wasn't sure that funny was the right word for…_that._ 'Poor children though' he added with a chuckle.

She laughed ' Yeah you could say that all right'

'But how are you and Ginny?' he noticed she left Ron out of the line of question this time.

'I..' he put a hand through his hair 'we broke up actually.'

'Oh I'm sorry Harry I didn't know that' although the look she had on her face made him think she was not sorry and she did in fact know. He felt himself relax a little.

'So Transfigurations huh?'

'Well they do need a new teacher'

'I know I just thought…'

'I grew out of Divination a while ago' she said pointedly 'Although Sybill is good company still. I think she likes having a friendly face around.'

He smiled at that and nodded. The years had thought him that she was probably right, everyone needed someone. A friendly face. They talked about his Auror training of which she knew quite a lot courtesy to Padma and Dean and then Hogwarts, he went back every year for the Memorial Ceremony but didn't stay long and had yet to see the inside of the castle. Somehow it was still too painful to be there. He told her that in a quiet voice and she reached a hand over the table to take his hand for a moment nodding in sympathy.

'I get that. Sometimes when I walk around the castle I suddenly get like a flash… of ..of how it was then' she closed her eyes for a moment, reopened them and looked straight into his 'But it is good to be there every day, to see everything, everyone, move on. Let go.' she narrowed her eyes and looked at him carefully 'I never noticed you have green eyes.'

_Like your mother_ it sounded in his head but that sentence did not come. Instead she said

'It becomes you.'

'Thanks' he smiled

'I didn't know you could eat that much ice cream in one go'

She laughed 'Well that just proves you are not a girl!' she said still grinning.

'Are you going to be there for Memorial?' she asked more seriously.

'Of course' like he had any other choice. He didn't want to admit it but he was growing tired of hearing a summary of his last fight with Voldermort year after year. The same speeches, the same photographs for the Prophet. If everyone was moving on then hell, he had a right to do the same. He realized that she was still talking and he had missed some of it

'…and well if you like?' he tuned in but missed the first half of the sentence. Looking at her he hoped to wager a guess but she was faintly blushing which told him absolutely nothing.

'I'm sorry?'

She looked puzzled for a moment but then realized that he did not hear

'I was asking whether, for the Memorial, whether you would like to go there with me. Together' now she was definitely blushing.

He felt his own cheeks redden as he realized that he very much wanted that yes.

'I'd like that yes'

She smiled brightly at him. He looked at her beautiful face the light reflecting in her dark eyes, her hand still playing with the spoon of her half eaten ice cream the chocolate in the corner of her mouth and thought that perhaps moving on was finally becoming a real option.

_Well that was different, for me at least. I realize that Parvati is either a half blood or a pure blood in the books but in my mind that does not necessarily mean she wouldn't be able to handle herself in Muggle society. As Harry said times change. I am thinking of writing another short one to show the actual Memorial Service, it will probably be SS/HG trough Harry's eyes though. If I get around to it. Reviews warm my heart, so does constructive criticism :)_


End file.
